Google Confirms the Existence of Android Pay

Ever since Apple Pay dropped onto the scene, there have been rumours that other phone makers would be coming up with their own mobile payment systems in an attempt to capitalise on the new-found popularity of paying for stuff with your phone. Google has just announced a new offering in the form of Android Pay.

But wait, doesn't Google already have a mobile payment service? Yes it's called Google Wallet and it's not going anywhere. In fact Sundar Pichai, the man in charge of Android, confirmed that Android Pay isn't a payment app in itself, rather it's a framework for making payments.

The idea is that Android Pay is something that other businesses and organisations can build on top of. So it sounds a bit like how Android is an OS that phone makers can, for better or worse, load onto phones and slap a custom user interface into the mix.

Google didn't reveal any details of how Android Pay might work, other than the fact that it uses a tokenised security system. That means that instead of storing your card details, the system utilises one-time-use authorisation tokens.

Pichai said that Android Wear would initially utilise NFC payments, but made it clear that this doesn't mean there is no room for any other options to be included. Who knows, maybe we'll see the 'wireless magnetic strip' payment system that's an integral part of Samsung Pay.

It's only a couple of months until Google I/O, so expect to hear more about Android Pay during the keynote speech. [Slashgear]